The Freedom Tower

One World Trade Center (formerly named and still colloquially known as the Freedom Tower) is the main building of the new World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan in New York City, New York. The tower will be located in the northwest corner of the 16-acre (65,000 m²) World Trade Center site bounded by Vesey, West, Washington and Fulton streets. Construction on below-ground utility relocations, footings, and foundations for the building began on April 27, 2006. On March 30, 2009, the Port Authority said that the building will be known as 'One World Trade Center', replacing its former name 'Freedom Tower'. Upon completion, One World Trade Center will be the tallest building in the United States, standing at a height of 1,776 feet (541.32 m), and among the tallest buildings in the world.
Along with One World Trade Center, the new World Trade Center site will feature three other high-rise office buildings along Greenwich Street and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The construction is part of an effort to memorialize and rebuild after the original World Trade Center complex was destroyed during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

2010-2011
Steel and concrete installation continued in 2010, where two cranes were on site. The fifth floor was finished on January 16. In February, construction began on the sixth floor, the last floor of 1 WTC's base, and the Port Authority announced that the tower's steel superstructure had reached 200 feet (61 m) above street level. By the end of March 2010, steel beams began to be erected for the second office floor. In April, the 45-degree octagon was installed, the building's steel frame had reached 26 floors, and concrete was completed on the base structure in the latter part of the month.
In May 2010, the Port Authority stated that they were building close to one floor per week, and projected that One World Trade Center would reach fifty-five stories by the end of 2010. The cocoon system was also installed, marking the first time a cocoon safety system has been installed on a steel superstructure in the city.
On July 13, 2010 workers found an 18th century sailing ship at the WTC site while excavating an underground vehicle security center for the future building. The remains of a 32-foot (9.8 m) section of the ship's hull and a 100 pound anchor were found, with archaeologists stating that the ship was likely used as landfill material during the early 19th century to help expand Manhattan, as the hull had been truncated and the beams sawed. Timbers from the ship were removed and sent to a laboratory to try to date the vessel.
In October, the tower's steel superstructure reached 44 stories. In November, stainless steel and glass facade panels were being prepared for later installation, with the panels scheduled to be assembled between the 20th and 24th floors. By November 17, the tower's steel had reached 48 stories. On November 13, the first glass facade panels were installed on the 20th floor. Steven Coleman, spokesman for the Port Authority, stated, "Once they get rolling, they'll be able to install glass panels at a rate of one floor per week."
The Port Authority announced on December 16, 2010 that 1 WTC had reached the 52nd floor, and had risen to over 600 feet (180 m), marking the halfway point for the construction of the building's steel frame. A spokesman for the Port Authority said that they expect the building to be topped-out by the end of 2011. As of January 21, 2011, 1 WTC has reached 55 stories, and glass panels have reached the 25th floor."

Estimated completion and cost
One WTC was originally expected to be completed and opened by 2011, however, an October 2008 report by the PANY pushed back the estimated completion of the tower to some time between the second and fourth quarter of 2013, with the total estimated budget growing slightly from the 2007 estimate to $3.1 billion.